A Robot Sat Front Row At The Alexander Wang Show

On Saturday, Alexander Wang presented Collection 2 in Brooklyn, picking up where his first outside-NYFW offering left off. While Collection 1 was dedicated to his parents’ immigrant roots and showcasing a melting pot of the most ‘American’ style symbols, Wang told Vogue, Collection 2 was different. “[It’s a] celebration of the American hustle. We’re taking stereotypes of class and wealth and trying to remix them, giving status symbols a new sensibility.” The collection was personal for Wang, who says because he was the only child in his family to attend private school, and often questioned where he fit in.

The result was a mash-up of uptown and downtown. Think belts fashioned after Hermes’ signature logo-adorned piece, but with a ‘W’ instead of an ‘H,’ sweet-looking cardigans paired with leather skirts, headbands worn over crimped hair, and netting. It was all very ’90s, and that was intentional. “There’s an uptown WASP — I don’t know if I’m allowed to say that — but that’s kind of the girl, sort of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy; we’ve got a downtown, kind of punk girl, with a bit of ’90s hip hop character… And then we’ve got a cross-pollination of the two, which is, I suppose, the unification of the Wang girl,” is how the lead hairstylist described the looks backstage.

A post shared by alexanderwang (@alexanderwangny) on Dec 1, 2018 at 8:41pm PST

However, Wang’s front row was very futuristic. Of course, his #WangSquad was out in full force, including 21 Savage, Teyana Taylor, and Selah Marley. But there was a new addition to the scene: a robot named Sophia, who appeared to be the biggest star of the evening. Sophia was made without legs, and wore a Wang blazer with metal safety pins forming hearts on the sleeves. She completed her look with a Collection 2 bandana around her neck.

Sophia is the work of a Hong Kong-based engineering company, which considers her its most advanced artificial intelligence creation. This isn’t Sophia’s first fashion show, either. She’s also been to Shanghai Fashion Week, so it’s safe to say, this won’t be the last time we see her. “I love meeting people from all over the world, and I also love experiencing different fashion,” she wrote on Instagram. We’re willing to bet she’ll make an appearance at Balmain, too, given Olivier Rousting’s penchant for AI.